For a special night out in Chiang Mai, it doesn’t get more luxurious than Le Grand Lanna at Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi.

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In a beautifully decorated open-air Lanna teak house, you can dine in style while taking in traditional dance and music performances from a troupe of talented artistes. And now, a completely revamped menu has been unveiled, courtesy of the restaurant’s two brand new chefs from Central Thailand – twin sisters Virat and Vilai Kanjan. Experts in both taste and presentation and specially trained in the art of fruit and vegetable carving, the Kanjan sisters learned to cook from their parents and have been doing so professionally since 19 at luxury hotels throughout Asia, and even at His Majesty the King’s palace.

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Their dishes are healthy and delicious, using fresh produce from the Royal Project Foundation and conveying a deep knowledge of the intricacies of traditional Thai cooking as well as a flair for creative fusion. Opt for one of their sumptuous set menus or go a la carte. Appetisers are conveniently served in a variety of portion sizes to share, from deep-fried crab spring rolls served with plum sauce to spicy papaya salad with soft shell crab to roasted coconut with dried shrimps, lime and ginger in a crispy cup. We swooned over the rich and slightly spicy tom kha soup, served in a coconut with succulent seafood and straw mushrooms, but saved room for the stunning mains, which included falling-off-the-bone southern style braised lamb shank with lotus seeds and pickled vegetable, a delightfully flavourful and perfectly textured deep-fried snow fish with organic Thai herbs and a dazzlingly presented stir-fried Canadian lobster cooked Thai-style with yellow curry and egg. For dessert, the taro dumplings in warm coconut milk with salted egg yolk and seasonal fruits was a perfect finale to a meal fit for a king.

I generally don’t really go to hotels for Thai food mainly because I assume (wrongly!) that Thai food at hotels are somehow modified to suit foreigners’ tastes.

A Thai friend, though, mentioned that he always goes to hotels for Thai food as he find the taste authentic and they use “real” ingredients. This is
certainly the case for Mira Terrace. The Thai food there is excellent, and top quality.

Mira Terrace is a very lovely restaurant in a very lovely resort. The restaurant has a deck overlooking the Ping River, or you can choose to dine in air-conditioned comfort, and still with a view of the river.
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Mira Terrace also serves a number of international and fusion dishes.

The bill came to about 1800 baht for 5 people ($12 USD per person).Quite good value, I think for the quality and ambience, not to mention very good service.

on a winter’s day, a reporter driving in Phitsanulok province noticed a big poster on the side of the road, which said “GRILLED RATS.” The sign was on the roadside along the route going from Sukhothai to Pitsanulok in Tambon Phaikhordorn, about 10 km from Phitsanulok.

The reporter stopped and talked to the rat-selling owner, Mrs. Somboon Yuyen, age 50, who lives on Tharmmul road, Amphur Meuang, Chainart province.

She said that selling grilled rats is a business that provides revenues to many families in the area. In winter, many local people like to eat grilled rats and come to buy her rats. Sometimes there are so many customers, she runs out of grilled rats to sell.

Mrs. Somboon has been selling grilled field rats for about 7 years. In the decade before that, she used to mainly catch the field rats to sell to the grilled rat shops. Back then the price would be 30 THB per kg ($1USD). Her revenue would total only 200 THB per day.

Then the wholesale rat prices increased to 80-100 THB per kg. However, the grilled rats had a higher price of 150 THB per kg. So Ms. Somboon and her husband began to catch the field rats to grill and sell themselves.

It’s “Wintertime” in our lovely Northern city, with temperatures dropping to the teens making motorbike rides shiver our timbers. Now is the time for clement comforts, now is the time for soup.
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Pho Vieng Chane is the perfect place for enjoying soup and other simple Vietnamese dishes in a clean indoor or outdoor setting in the easy middle of the Old City.

It’s a rule of thumb in Chiang Mai that the smaller the menu, the better the food because the restaurant has time to perfect a small number of items. The people of Pho Vieng Chane have discovered a happy middle ground with a medium sized menu offering a handful of “specialties.”

Pho Vieng Chane serves Pho in both Chicken and Pork varieties. The broth is light and not over- seasoned; the rice noodles are perfectly cooked; green onions, bean sprouts, and peanuts are added. Cabbage and mint leaves are available to add so you can pretend you are eating a salad. I’m all about fiber.

The Fresh Spring Rolls (Chicken, Veggie, Pork, Shrimp options) were wonderful, and an essential companion to every bowl of soup. Inside each piece of rice paper is tightly wrapped lettuce, tofu or meat, and mint. The dipping sauce is first- rate- not too sour; salty, and sweet, and generously peppered with peanuts. The Fresh Spring Rolls did not fall apart while being eaten, attesting to the quiet care with which Pho Vieng Chane prepares its simple dishes.

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A bowl of Pho will set you back about 40THB ($1.31USD), or 60THB for a large bowl (always encouraged). The appetizers and other dishes are priced similarly so you can enjoy your soup or pretend-salad guiltfree, with money to spare.

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Pho Vieng Chane is located off the Sunday Market Walking Street (Ratchadamnoen Road) at the large plaza with Wawee Coffee (Kad Klang Wiang). It is open from 7am to 9pm everyday. Phone: 053 271174

It can be difficult, if not impossible, to find a seat at popular McDonald’s restaurants during peak lunch and dinner hours.

If you look closely, however, not all the customers seated there are simply enjoying their meals. McDonald’s has become a meeting place or even a workplace for independent tutors and their students.

Following customer complaints, the local company is doing something about it.

McThai, the operator of the McDonald’s fast food chain in Thailand, has imposed a new rules:

1. prohibiting customers from loitering in their shops for more than one hour

2. requesting customers to purchase food while using the restaurant seating and to not wait around without buying anything

3. Unattended belongings will be removed from the vacant tables, according to the company’s notice to customers.

4. Customers are urged not to leave items such as laptop computers or cell phones plugged into the electrical outlets for more than 30 minutes at a time. For safety reasons, any use of multi outlet extensions will be prohibited inside the restaurants.

Pickles is owned by an American who lives in Thailand, loves a Thai lady and is permanently settled here. The food is pure Americana. Gary, the owner said that when he first moved here ten years ago he couldn’t find corned beef (well, fresh corned beef anyway, you can buy the canned stuff), so one day he made some, and pastrami as well, and let his friends try them. They liked them so much they started buying them off him.

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Anyway, so the restaurant itself is tiny, only four tables. When we walked in there were already farang sitting on two tables, they greeted each other as though they were Thai people, speaking fluently.

The menu was truly appetising:

– hot juicy corned beef

– Romanian pastrami

– hot brisket of beef tongue

– all sorts of barbecues like ribs (the farang on the table next to me had this and it looked soooooooo good! – next time!), beef short ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork, pork chop, spaghettis and even pizzas.

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Of course I will return to try the other items on the menu, but on that day, we couldn’t possibly eat any more. The value for money was amazing, with huge portions, the sandwiches cost no more than 200 baht each ($6.45 USD). The pork ribs (advertised as best in town) are also 200 baht as is the pork chop. With these prices, this tiny little venue doesn’t need to do much boasting, it is a no brainer.

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OK, here are simple directions: From Chang Puek Gate, drive towards Kuang Singh Intersection past the Mecure Hotel (old Novotel), just past the hotel look to your right and you wil see the Standard Charter Bank. That is Chang Puek soi 7. Drive to the end of the soi there is a t-junction, turn left for a few metres and you will see the restaurant on your right hand side, there is parking for 3-4 cars.

What a better way to catch up with a friend over coffee and cakes in the lovely tropical garden of Fern Forest Cafe.

Fern Forest Cafe is set in a wooden Thai house in one of the lanes in Chiang Mai’s charming old city. You can dine in the shady tropical garden, or in an air-conditioned room in the house. The menu is quite extensive, with lots of different types of cakes, coffee and other drinks, as well as meals like quiche and sandwiches.

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I opt for the Banofee Pie (see photo) – very interesting! I have never seen anything like it!

The base is nice and crumbly and crunchy, laced with caramel, I think. There are lots of just plain old bananas, as you can see, and a layer of caramel syrupy thing is spreaded over the top, and the “pie” is then topped with a thick layer of cream. Very nice and lightish (if not for the cream!). 75 baht. ($2.42 USD)

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My friend chose the Coconut Pie, which is also quite nice. The pie is filled with shredded coconut in smooth, soft and creamy (something like) custard. Also 75 baht ($2.42 USD).Incidentally, quite a few people from various internet sites recommend this pie.

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The coffee is fine. Apparently Fern Forest Cafe grows their own coffee. Coffee connoisseurs may not find it too impressive though, but I find it quite pleasant, and not bitter.

All in all, I think Fern Forest Cafe is a lovely coffee shop. Very nice relaxing ambience, very good (and interesting) cakes, pretty good coffee, reasonable prices. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area. It’s also quite a popular place with streams of people coming in an out the whole time we are there.